i'm very excited. >> what are you most excited to be? >> great to be in the nation's capital. >> the redskins formally introduce their new coach in just a matter of hours. mike shanahan has now agreed to lead the burgundy and gold. connecticut senator christopher dodd will not be seeking re-election. the announcement comes as another democrat announces his retirement. and a man accused of attending the white house state dinner uninvite tells his side of the story. "news 4 midday" begins right now. good morning to you. and welcome to "news 4 midday." i'm joe krebs.

>> and i'm eun yang in for barbara harrison today, wednesday, january 6th, 2010. >> well, the washington redskins now have a new head coach. mike shanahan will lead the burgundy and gold after agreeing to a five-year contract that makes him the highest-paid coach in the nfl. >> the team will make it official at a news conference this afternoon at redskins park. that's where our own dan hellie is live with the latest. >> reporter: hey, joe, hey, eun. you know dan snyder likes big names and he certainly has a big name here. mike shanahan spent 14 years as the head coach for the denver broncos, won two super bowls. the only knock on him is that he won those super bowls with john elway. in the post john elway era, he only won one playoff game. but this is a man who knows football and he will be the ultimate decision maker in this organization. that's important because they

have not had somebody other than dan snyder making the decisions in the past. mike shanahan agreed t contract terms last night. he celebrated with the owner, dan snyder, at the palm restaurant in tyson's corner. everybody very elated that this is finally a done deal and he will be the ultimate decision maker. lindsay zarniac was at the restaurant and had a chance to catch up with the redskins' new head coach. >> congratulations. how excited are you? >> very excited. >> what are you most excited about? >> great to be in the nation's capital. >> what excites you the most? >> we'll talk about that tomorrow. but nice to meet you. channel 4, right? >> yeah. great to meet you. >> reporter: that was my favorite part at the end, the channel 4, right? he's very polished, knows how to work the media. this is a guy who just knows the ropes. they haven't had guy like this be the ultimate decision maker sinceoe gibbs. it's going to be a very similar-type role.

and when he comes in here, he has that instant credibility and respect. i talked to london fletcher last night and he had a big old smile on his face, because you have to listen to what this guy's saying, because he's been there, he's done that. he coached clinton portes. does he come back? who's going to be the quarterback? bring in jason campbell or bring in somebody else? sage rosenfeld, redskins fans probably remember him. he played for kyle shanahan as a backup in houston. he knows the offense. kyle shanahan is the 30-year-old son of mike shanahan, guys, and he's going to come here and be the offensive coordinate. a very interesting father/son combination. but kyle very good down in houston with the texans. he's proved that he knows what he's doing. >> dan, i want to ask you a question. you say that the coach will be the ultimate decision maker. my question is, then, where does that leave bruce allen? i thought as general manager, he would be the ultimate decision

maker? who really is the ultimate ultimate decision maker? >> reporter: well, i guess nobody really knows for sure. i don't think that question will be answered in the press conference, because somebody is certainly going to ask it. but mike shanahan would not have agreed to a deal with the washington redskins if he was not making the final decisions. bruce allen is going to be the general manager and bruce allen will have a lot of input. and they're going to work in concert with each other to make she's decisions, but don't be mistaken. if there's a quarterback out there, that mike shanahan wants and bruce allen's like, i don't know if he's the guy, mike shanahan will go get him. bruce allen worked with john in tampa bay. he's a numbers gu a cap guy, a manager of people. but in terms of personnel, john made those decisions and mike shanahan will likely make those decisions here as well. the press conference scheduled for 2:00 p.m., which i believe we will be carrying live here on nbc 4.

and that's going to be the next time that i will see you from here at redskins park. >> we'll be there. thanks very much. >> thank you, dan. >> reporter: you're welcome. >> mike shanahan brings two super bowl titles and more than 130 regular season victories with him to washington. but will he bring the same success to the redskins? megan mcgrath continues our coverage of shanahan's hiring with a look at whether he can restore glory to this once-proud organization. we certainly hope so, megan. good morning. >> reporter: now that it's official that mike shanahan is the new head coach and vice president of football operations, the big question is, what does this mean for the team and will it make a difference next season? we put tt question to former redskins dock walker and some fans. mike shanahan, he led the dver broncos to two super bowl victories and will try to bring some of that magic here to washington. to turn things around, shanahan has been given greater powers than some of his predecessors. in addition to being the head coach, he will also beice president of football operations

and have final say on all football matters. former redskins and radio talk show host, doc walker says shanahan will have to guest used to the nfc style of football, but walker says shanahan has the credentials and record to get things done. >> the only thing that's important is that he and dan snyder agree on one thing. and that is that he's in charge of football operations. that there are no opinions needed, no nothing needed other than mike shanahan and bruce allen. it's got to be a football-related deal. do you have opinions? absolutely. but if i think that the most inexperienced person in the football department is making the decisions, you'll never win. >> reporter: shanahan was hired less than 48 hours after jim zorn was fired. zorn never held the title of vice president of football operations. longtime friend of dan snyder, vinnie cerrato served in that position, making key personnel decisions.

cerrato resigned last month before the end of the season. coach zorn was fired within hours of sunday's final game, a loss to the san diego chargers. fans hope that the changes mean a better season in 2010. >> if he gets to make the final decisions on all player acquisitions, players that are going to be let go and everything, they need somebody in placehat can take over this team and give them leadership. >> he needs to step away. he needs to let these guys handle the business. i think if he does that, i think you'll see dramatic difference. i hope they're going to do a whole lot better. it's going to make a big difference. and that's from a cowboy fan. >> i think he probably brings a quality and a proven record to the team. >> reporter: so what does shanahan have in mind in terms of changes for the team? we hope to learn more when he's formally introduced at press conference here at redskins park at 2:00 this afternoon. back to y'all in the studio. >> that was megan mcgrath reporting. you can catch mike shanahan's introduction live from redskins park right here on news 4. we will carry the news

conference starting at 2:00 this afternoon. let's take a look outside right now. it is freezing and you can see some of the ice on the river out there on the potomac river as the boat is trying to make its way through some of that ice. let's get our first forecast now from meteorologist tom kierein. >> hey, tom. >> you can see the camera bouncing around a bit too. we've got a blustery wind that continues to whip in out of the northwest and continues to pump in arctic air over the region. but it is now getting above freezing throughout much of the area with the sunshine now breaking up, 36 in washington. right near the freezing mark in montgomery and prince george's and arlington and fairfax counties. and these are the windchills. they are down to the low to mid-20s now. these are the latest wind gusts. just had a gust to 32 miles per hour at reagan national. still a bit blustery. manassas just had a gust there to 35 miles an hour. a gust of 37. that wind is whipping up a bit and it will be a bit blustery throughout the rest of the afternoon with some clouds racing through. highs reaching the upper 30s and those northwest winds will

diminish a bit overnight tonight. we will be down near the freezing mark again after sunset, and then the low 20s by dawn tomorrow. should be partly cloudy to mostly clear at times overnight tonight. could get some light snow late tomorrow into friday. i'll have the latest on that and we'll take a look at the weekend as well in just a few minutes. eun and joe? >> thanks very much, tom. >> let's check in with jerry edwards to get an update on the midday traffic. any problems, jerry? >> we have a couple of issues, road work and traffic light issues in the district here in northeast washington, this is new york avenue at bladensburg road. the traffic lights have been on flash for the last couple of hours. and as a result, new york avenue, in particular, is really jammed up, coming in over the river. you can see help on the scene there, directing traffic, but that's not doing much to alleviate the backup. so if you're headed to the northeast, just be prepared for that to pop over and take rhode island avenue or kennelworth avenue. elsewhere, the trip to the wilson bridge, no big surprise there is. over on 95 southbound moving nicely, northbound looks like the lanes are open from at least

newington headed on up to the capital beltway. joe, eun, back to you? >> thanks very much, jerry. new today, there may be trouble on the horizon for the democratic party. after 30 years in office, connecticut senator chris dodd says he will not seek re-election this fall. the senator is expected to make a formal announcement in just about an hour from now. dodd has served in the senate since 1980 and is currently the chair of the senate banking committee. meanwhile, longtime connecticut attorney general, richard blumenthal, has told the associated press that he will run for dodd's seat. he's expected to speak at 2:30 this afternoon. dodd's announcement comes just one day after another prominent democratic senator calls it quits. north dakota senator byron dorgan announced yesterday that he also will not seek re-election in november. this news has dealt a potential blow to democrats already struggling to protect their senate filibuster-proof majority, adding to the further democratic concerns, this morning, there is word that colorado governor bill ritter also will not run for a second

term in november. he's expected to make that announcement some time today. the man accused of being the third white house crasher now says he had an invitation. this video appears to be carlos allen walking into the white house ahead of the official indian delegation. at one point, allen denied attending the state dinner, but now his lawyer tells nbc news that allen did attend the reception, dinner, and performance after having an invitation mailed to him. allen runs h.u.s.h. galleria, a private social club. d.c. records shows his license to run the business was revoked. right now metro is making an announcement that could mean some headaches for riders. crews will be doing track work during the martin luther king holiday weekend. that means that the grovener strat more station will be closed. the red line will be split into two sections. the first will run between shady grove and flint. metro will provide free shuttle buses to take radars around that closed grovener station.

it's another cold day and during times like these, it's important, of course, to have a warm coat. that's why nbc 4 is partnering with the salvation army, bergman's cleaners, and the nurses of georgetown university hospital. we're trying to make sure everythi everyone can stay warm this winter regardless of need. kimberly souters joins us on how you helped us share the warmth. good morning, kimberly. >> reporter: good morning, eun. more than 6,000 washingtonians may be helped by this. thousands of gently worn coats, ready to be given away, and lots and lots of people lined up this morning to pick them up. why is the generosity so great this year? well, people are truly conceed for others, we're being told, because of the cold weather. outside, in the cold, the line wraps around the front building. families here -- of a winter

coat. this year, it really is a necessity. people told us they were looking not only for themselves, but also for their children, their grandchildren, and their great grandchildren. >> we are not able to afford to purchase coats to keep us warm. so the angels, they're just the volunteers, i call them angels, i am also grateful for the salvation army. >> the collection of coats is many more than we've had in years past. i think the weather creates that need. and it sort of invigorates people to realize, people without coats on the streets are really, really suffering. i mean, it's 32, 33 today. it's been that way for quite a while. so i think people have just really come out in droves to understand that it's not right to have people that are frozen on the streets. so we want to keep people alive through this coat distribution. >> reporter: and the georgetown nurses who were here early this morning and also partnered with nbc 4 say they are seeing more

cases of hypothermia and other cold-related illnesses because of this harsh, harsh winter. now, back here live at the salvation army on sherman avenue -- if you want to donate one, there's still time. this campaign goes through friday. reporting live in northwest, i'm kimberly suiters, news 4. now back to you in the studio. >> kimberly, thanks very much. a great event. >> it certainly is. taking responsibility for the near-tragic christmas day bombing. >> we have to do better. and we will do better. and we have to do it quickly. american lives are on the line. >> coming up, changes the president is demanding be made. plus, parts of the potomac river are iced over. we'll tellou about the danger that poses. and a fast food tantrum. what caused this woman to begin throwing things at workers. stay with us.

right now in jamaica, accident investigators are holding a news conference to announce their initial findings in the investigation of that clash of american airlines flight 311. the flight skidded off the end of the runway last month in kingst kingston. the preliminary findings are expected to show that a wet runway and the pilot landing long -- or, that is to say, landing further dow the runway than he should have -- may have been factors in the accident. president obama says the

nation's security system failed in a potentially disastrs way after not preventing the failed christmas day terror attempt. president obama met with top officials who have been reviewing security methods. he says the government had enough information to uncover the plot, but that officials failed to connect the dots. now the president is demanding immediate change cans. >> i want our initial reviews completed this week. i want specific recommendations for corrective actions to fix what went wrong. i want those reforms implemented immediately, so that this doesn't happen again, and so we can prevent future attacks. >> the president also said he is suspending the transfer of guantanamo detainees to yemen. the suspect in the foiled christmas day bombing attempt claimed he was acting on instructions from al qaeda cooperatives in that country -- operatives, rather, in that country. there are new developments about the man who breached security at newark international airport. e port authority is saying the camera at the security checkpoint was streaming live images, but was not recording

them. this has made it impossible for tsa to immediately check an image of the man walking through the exit door. the man was not found, but the tsa says the terminal was searched and nothing dangerous was discovered. new jersey democratic senators robert menendez and frank lautenberg plan to hold a press conference tomorrow at the airport to discuss a letter they are sending to the tsa about security upgrades. well, we're learning more this morning about the suicide bomber who killed seven cia employees at a military base in afghanistan. authorities say the bomber had gained the trust of the u.s. agents by providing intelligence that led them to several al qaeda leaders. a former intelligence official told the associated press that the jordanian doctor's information led to several drone-launched missile strikes. last week, the bomber lured the cia agents into a meeting by saying that he had information about osama bin laden's top deputy. most of the country continues to deal with a record-breaking arctic blast, especially the south. in tennessee, where temperatures dropped into the teens

overnight, the cold weather is blamed for at least four deaths. schools across the southern states are closing because they just can't heat up. technicians are booked through the weekend to repair broken heaters and farmers are worried about their next crop. >> we're going to have a lot more to deal with, because it's going to be more days below 32-degree temperatures. and we haven't seen that before. >> this cold weather could cost us around $145,000. >> another strong, cold arctic high pressure system is forecasted to dominate about five-sixths of the nation, at least through the weekend. >> we just want to caution everybody. don't go out on ice, really, if you like to recreate and you want to go skating, go to an ice rink. >> you heard the message, stay off the ice. that's from local firefighters who demonstrated what can happen when you look on thin ice. ice can look deeper than it actually and it is easy to fall in. if you d see someone fall through the ice, don't try to

rescue that person yourself, call 911 immediately. >> that icy water can be deadly very quickly. >> many area ponds around, too, have frozen over, and that's especially attractive to kids. warn them, when they get home from school, stay off the ice. it's certainly not thick enough. there's the ice on the potomac, and it's kind of chunky, too. and it is frozen hour at this hour. d the camera bouncing around in the wind. let's take a look at our sky from earlier this morning, as we go back over about an hour or so ago, that cloud was producing some flurries and it drifted off to the south and east and we had the bright sun breaking out. and you can see a few clouds have passed over with their cloud shadows passing over the national cathedral in the foreground. you can see the potomac river in the distance. the sun gleaming off the ice on the river. there's the live picture now from our city -- or sky watcher camera looking down toward the city. you can still see a few clouds drifting through athis hour. now the city camera is showing, there's the national cathedral looking from the other direction. there are clouds to our west at this hour. right now at reagan national, it's up to 36, where the record

low for this date is just 2 above zero, set on this date back in 1884. this is not record cold here. taking a look at radar, no more precipitation, no more flurries. we did have a dusting, though, enough snow, up to about an inch fell in parts of northern frederick county and northern carroll county. they delayed some of the schools there. and the temperatures around the region are just getting to near the freezing mark to the mid-30s near washington and near the bay. the windchills, though, are still down into the low 20s, with that wind that has been gusting around 25 to 30 miles an hour. just had a gus at reagan national up to 32 miles an hour. looking at the other temperatures, just a little bit above freezing now on the eaern shore. still in the teens out in the mountains where they're getting some snow showers. and earlier this morning, there were those passing snow showers, that we've had moving on through. now there's still a few on the eastern shore, and it's just broken up to a few scattered flurries across pennsylvania and into west virginia. well, we've got this cold flow out in the north and west. meanwhile, far to our west, far

northwest to the northern plains now, there is some snow. that snow is going to continue to track off to the south and east, and it will be heading towards us here. it does look like by tomorrow evening, we'll see this snow begin to move on in. just light snow for us for the rest of the afternoon. partly cloudy, cold, and breezy. we'll see a high around the upper 30s, but that wind still gusting 20 to 35 miles an hour. we'll keep that windchill in the low 20s. then the wind should diminish and we'll see it down near freezing by early evening and then low 20s by dawn tomorrow. during the day on thursday, we'll have maybe a little sun in the morning, but then clouding up quickly as that snow system approaches from the upper midwest, and we'll have temperatures, though, before any snow arrives, reaching the mid-30s. but then we should get below freezing after sunset, and that appears now to be the time we'll get that light snow, perhaps around 7:00, 8:00 or so around tomorrow evening, around the metro area. a little bit earlier, further west and north. and it may continue, light snow

from time to time, all the way to late morning on friday, but it's just going to be periods of light snow, so i don't think we're going to have a big accumulation, maybe only 2 or 3 inches at the most, it appears right now, maybe a little more, certainly, out in the mountains, but not around the metro area. but enough on friday morning, they may have some school delays and cause some traffic problems. all we need is an inch or two of snow on untreated surfaces to create dangerously slick conditions. highs on friday only near freezing, and it looks like it's going to be cold and blustery friday afternoon and evening as we clear out saturday and sunday, highs, we're probably not going to get above freezing. just near 30 with morning lows in the teens to near 20, but should be dry with sunshine on sunday and into monday and tuesday, gradually warming up. it looks like we may even maybe hit near 40 by tuesday and wednesday next week. it should seem like a heat wave. >> well, it will feel so good. can't wait for that. >> we need it. >> thank you, tom. >> let's go to jerry edwards, taking a look at the roadways at midday. >> over to gaithersburg, maryland, a little hard to tell,

because this camera is shooting the incident from a block away. this is route 355 in gaithers gaithersburg. there's a water main break that occurred a short time ago. and authorities have completely closed down at east deer park. a little bit of a detour through the neighborhood. that puts the incident a little bit north of shady grove road, just above the walnut hill shopping center, for you folks up in that area. northbound lanes are open, southbound -- i'm sorry, northbound lanes are blocked, southbound are open. near route 236, police have arrived on the scene. don't forget about the traffic light issues. they're on flash all the way around, but there is help on the scene directing traffic. >> thank you, jerry. still ahead on "news 4 midday," we'll have the latest on the problems facing wizard's star gilbert arenas. he could face criminal charges and punishment from the nba. plus, security changes for the pope after this incident on christmas eve. and why the white house has

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good morning and welcome back. the white house is pretty unhappy abouthis new campaign from peta that features michelle obama. the ad shows -- is showing up

around the district. it's part of peta's "make d.c. fur free" campaign which features celebrities who have pledged not to wear fur. but the white house says michelle obama never posed for the organization, nor did she give consent for her picture to be ed. in fact, peta's president says they did not ask for her consent, because they knew she can't make such an endorsement. so instead they used her picture, implying that she was doing just that. mcdonalds says they love to make you smile, but a missouri woman was not amused when the restaurant messed up her order. take a look at this. first, she threw a bucket of mop water and then she fired up by hurling a register, all because the woman was upset about how her sandwich was made. no one was hurt in the episode, but the woman caused about $3,000 in damage. imagine how much food she could from bought from the dollar menu with that money. police are still looking for her. >> i can't manuimagine what thed

to her sandwich to set her off like that. >> must hate ketchup. coming up, nasa begins a new and final year for the shuttle program this morning. the "endeavour" is rolled out to the launch pad. and the weather remains a major story across much of the country. a look at who is being hit hard today. and our weather has been really rough on the roads. we'll look at how road crews are trying to keep up.

right now at redskins park, they're getting ready to introduce mike shanahan as the team's new head coach. shanahan agreed to a five-year contract reportedly worth about $35 million. he'll be introduced at a 2:00 p.m. news conference and you can see that live right here. after 30 years in office, connecticut senator chris dodd is saying he will not seek re-election this fall. the senator is expected to make a formal announcement at noon today. senator dodd has served in the senate since 1980 and is currently the chair of the senate banking committee. the man accused of being the third uninvited guest to the white house now says he did attend the state dinner, but he says he had an invitation. an attorney for carlos allen tells nbc news his client had an invitation mailed to him, but that he does not know where it came from. well, it is another cold day and it's beginning to seem like those bitter cold temperatures just won't go away. here in the washington area, we've been dealing with below-average temperatures and nationwide, it's been the

longest stretch of below-normal temperatures in some 25 years. janet shamlian shows us how people everywhere are trying to cope. >> reporter: in a winter that's already done crippling snow and ice on much of the nation, now comes the deep freeze. >> some of the coldest air of the season so far will be moving in. >> blowing snow, even blizzard conditions possible at times. >> reporter: bitter, bone-chilling cold blanketing as much as two-thirds of the u.s. from the rockies, pushing east, and deep into the shell-shocked south. >> what are you going to do? they wanted to go swimming, you know? we came to florida, to go to the beach. >> reporter: even where they expect winter's worst, it's a record breaker. minus 37 in international falls, minnesota. minus 16 in st. joseph, missouri. by week's end, little rock could see 10 degrees. dallas will be in the 20s. >> when you have conditions like this, sustained periods of this kind of cold weather, it really is about protecting people's

lives. >> reporter: the nation's bred basket turning into an icebox. near des moines, iowa, tim cullen is using three space heaters that are doing little to cut the chill. >> this is the coldist i've ever been. >> reporter: even beyond the cold, more is coming. >> frozen like a popsicle. >> reporter: not everyone is running from the cold. >> we're just conditioning our bodies to enjoy the rest of the winter. >> we live here. we might as well face the fact. >> reporter: forecasters say what's unusual about this cold snap is how widespread it is and how long it will last. >> think it's miserable. >> i've got four pair of socks on, my feet still get cold. >> reporter: janet shamlian, nbc news, kansas city. >> that was janet shamlian reporting. it is cold out there. >> how can anyone live in international falls, tom? >> well, very layered up, that's for sure. that's how they get through it up there. they're used to it, actually. on this date back in 1983, we had all 50 states at reports, at least in one location, of

temperatures below freezing. so it has happened in the past, but it certainly is unusual. well, here we're still just struggling to get above freezing. now 36 in washington, but right near the freezing mark still in montgomery, fairfax, and prince george's counties. the windchills are just near 20 degrees in many locations, with the winds that still are seeing gusts here over 30 miles an hour. these are the wind gusts we've had over the last hour. the peak gusts have been 30 to 35 miles an hour. and over the last six hours, what we've seen, some patches of snow coming in from the north. a weak disturbance that passed over us is now over the eastern shore. still a few flurry there is. but a dusting of snow, up to an inch fell in parts of frederick that caused some school delays this morning. and for the rest of the afternoon, partly cloudy with a blustery cold winds, just reaching the upper 30s. and down below freezing this evening with a mostly clear sky. we'll bottom out in the low 20s tomorrow morning. and increasingly cloudy on thursday. tomorrow, looks like after sunset, light snow will move in

from the west. then below freezing with the light snow coming down, from time to time, thursday night through perhaps mid-morning on friday. 2 or 3 inches perhaps accumutes of light, fluffy snow, a dry snow. and saturday and sunday, sunshine back. gradually warming up as we get into next week. that's the way it looks right now. eun and joe? >> thanks very much, tom. >> final check of the midday traffic now. >> and who better to give it to us than jerry edwards. >> no one better. >> thank you very much. this pretty ugly, trying to make the trip into georgetown, avoid traveling along the stretch of the "k" strt. construction in that two-lane stretch. only one lane gets by, as a result. "k" street is backed up to the whitehurst freeway, which is backed up leaving canal road. not nice at all. elsewhere, the trip to the wilson bridge, no surprises, but good news to report. traffic light issues at new york and bladensburg have been repaired. looks like things are back to normal. and 355 northbound is closed to

traffic at this hour at gaithersburg because of a water main break, especially for the afternoon commute, if it continues until then. that's how we're doing. back to you. >> thanks very much, jerry. a grand jury could decide by the end of the week whether gilbert arenas should face charges for bringing guns into the wizard's locker room. prosecutors began presenting evidence to a grand jury yesterday, a day after arenas sat down with police and prosecutors to discuss what happened. the wizard's start spoke about the case after the team's game last night in philadelphia and he says he's concerned an nba commissioner david stern as he is prosecuted. >> more concerned about stern or the actual authorities? >> i mean, stern is mean -- >> you fear davis more than you would the -- >> yeah, because i think he might make his decision before, you know -- >> have you any indication that he might actually make his ruling pretty soon? >> i don't know. all i can do is just go out and

play. >> the nba will likely wait until after the legal process plays out before deciding on whether to penalize arenas. >> in prince george's county, a woman came face-to-face with the attacker accused of trying to cut her unborn baby out of her body. police say that veronica deramous lured teka adams to her apartment last month and then allegedly tied her up and assaulted her with knives. adams escaped and delivered a healthy baby girl. she's now staying with her father, who described what it was like seeing deramous at yesterday's court hearing. >> teka's my youngest daughter. so i felt like she was trying to take my baby, in two ways. my daughter as well as my granddaughter. that's how i felt. so i was hurt and he was angry. >> deramous faces attempted murder charges. she's being held without bond while a grand jury investigation moves forward. lawyers for baltimore's mayor shelia dixon are in court

right now, asking for a new trial. at today's hearing, dixon's attorney is arguing there was jury misconduct and that there was confusion when the judge dropped certain charges that led to jurors being instructed to ignore large chunks of testimony. dixon was convicted last month of using donated gift cards that were meant to be given to families in need. if no new trial is granted, dixon will be sentenced later this month. a wealthy developer says he will not challenge mayor fenty in next year's election. real estate says he will not run for re-election saying his mother-in-law is ill and he has vowed to support his family right now. peebles says he would suspend millions of his own dollar challenging fenty. as of now, the mayor has no serious competition in next year's race. vincent grey and other council members say they're still thinking about a run. pope benedict celebrated mass today with some new security measures. the epiphany mass is the last major ceremony of the vatican's christmas season.

this time, as pope benedict entered st. peter's basilica, the main aisle had been widened to give the pontiff and his security more space. the change came after a christmas incident when a woman jumped over t rail and knocked the pope down. despite the incident, the pope still gravitated towards the crowd, blessing babies and adults alike. it's the beginning of the end for nasa's three ageing space shuttles. there are only five more missions scheduled before the orbiter fleet retires in the fall. the first of those five will be next month. the shuttle "endeavour" was rolled on to the launch pad just a few hours ago. the last space shuttle flight is scheduled for september of this year. if you're looking for parking in the district next saturday, don't forget the new rules. it will park $2 an hour to park in premium demand zones like morgan, national mall, and chinatown and 75 cents an hour in normal zones. parking will be enforced in premium areas until 10:00 p.m. it's expected to take another

two weeks for the thousands of signs and meters in d.c. to be converted, but check the signs and meters where you're parking. if a new sign is up, the new rules are in effect. and you can expect fewer traffic jams now on in northeast washington. work on the kennelworth avenue reconstruction project is finally complete. crews have spent nearly three years rebuilding kennelworth from foot street to lane place. they've also replaced four existing bridges and installed new street lights, crosswalks, and traffic signals. the price tag, about $ million. it's one of the perils of driving, especially this time of year. and we're talking, of course, about potholes and local road repair crews are warning that there are plenty of them in this area. now they're out on pothole patrol, trying to stop the damage to your car before it happens. jane watrel reports. >> reporter: they're a car's worst enemy. potholes are springing up all over the metro area, as drivers

try to dodge the deep cracks. >> there are quite a few that are etty severe. it's usually on the side of the road. >> that's why you have to dart in and out of the road so you won't fall into one. >> reporter: that's why vdot turned loose the aptly named pothole killer. racing to fill the cracks in bumpy roads before crews have to prepare for the next winter storm. >> it's hard this time of year, because our crews are switching back and forth between dealing with ice and freezing rain to dealing with potholes. it's a lot of switching back and forth when the weather stays like this. >> reporter: the recipes for potholes a simple one. snow, ice, and rain seep into cracks in the surface of area roadways. when warmer daytime temperatures, the freezing and thawing cycle stays in mometion causing pavement to deteriorate. it's gotten so bad along the site of the wilson bridge project, there will bemergency pothole repairs in two lanes until the mortgage rush begins.

officials say the potholes keep popping up. >> kind of like mushrooms. you know, you find a lot more once you get out there and start looking. but we patrol the road several times a day, looking for these. and that coupled with, you know, complaints from riders that pass thisway, we try to react as quickly as we can and make roads safe. >> reporter: jane watrel, news 4. >> officials say the pothole work will be a pain for drivers, because of the lane closures and slowdowns, but they say it's a whole lot better than paying for expensive car repairs. still ahead on "news 4 midday," asian stock markets inched higher today. we'll look ahead to today's trading session on wall street. plus, a new tracking system for airplanes. stay with us.

green transportation is in the spotlight at the auto expo 2010 in new delhi. almost all the major car manufacturers at the show came displaying an electric car from their stables. general motors flaunted the electric version of its existing model spark. it will be launched by year's end as the beat in india, where it's being touted as sexy, smart, and tough. stocks started this morning up, just slightly. >> let's check in with cnbc's courtney reagan. she joins us with more on that and the rest of the day's business headlines.

>> good morning to you both. right now we are seeing stocks up a little bit higher. the dow up higher. stocks trading on a pretty narrow range on wall street following a mixed session yesterday. yesterday we got a positive report on factory orders, but that was overshadowed by a bigger than expected drop in pending home sales for november. that's raising concerns again that sales could drop even further this winter. so we really want to keep an eye on the housing market and any of those numbers that do come to the forefront. asian markets were mildly higher overnight. europe is just a touch lower. and the adp employment survey, that came out this morning and it's reporting the u.s. economy lost 84,000 private sector jobs last month. it's the smallest drop since march of 2008, good news there. the big report of course, comes out on friday. that's the monthly jobs number. so possibly a bit of a precursor. and the latest challenger report is showing that planned layoffs at u.s. companies fell in december to their lowest in two years. employers announced just over 45,000 planned job cuts last

month. and the mortgage banker's association says that mortgage applications rose a half a percent last month, but are still holding just above six-month lows. and it looks like americans scrapped more cars than they actually bought last year, as the economy reduced demand and many major cities expanded mass transit service. the earth policy institute says more than 14 million vehicles were scrapped while just 10 million were sold. and sure, the government's cash for clunkers rebate did account for some of that, 700,000 scrapped cars and trucks, in fact. but with more people living in cities than a few decades ago, many people are just foregoing purchasing a car altogether. i actually, myself, am one of those numbers, but might be one of the few people in new york city that wish i was able to have a car, a little easier. i actually miss driving. >> you do? >> i do. >> you would be rare in new york city. >> yeah, it doesn't make sense to have a car in new york city too much unless you're going out of it, but i miss just being able to get in, you know, behind

my own wheel. >> hard to park there too. >> right, very hard. >> thanks, courtney. >> thank you. >> have a great day. a new aircraft surveillance system in colorado is the first of its kind in the united states. this program is providing air traffic controllers with the ability to better track planes around mountain airports. leanne gregg has more on how the faa plans to use this new technology to replace traditional radar. >> 20, 24, 27. >> reporter: this is a training session at an faa facility that provides air traffic services for parts of nine states and all of colorado. a new tool in the arsenal to keep the skies safe in geographically difficult areas, like the mountains, is called wide area multilatration. >> it really does enhance efficiency by giving us eyes and being able to see in places that we've never been able to see before. >> reporter: existing radar can't track planes through mountains. the new system can. >> this is the rifle airport and here's the vfr aircraft at 8,200 feet. we wouldn't have seen that

before on the old radar. >> reporter: 20 sensors have been placed around four airports in the rockies that serve hayden, steamboat springs, craig, and rifle, colorado. the sensors pick up aircraft signals and then computers determine the planes' locaons. the state of colorado bought the new system and tested it, then turned it over to the faa to own and maintain. they plan to expand the surveillance to include other mountain airports. >> any time we can positively identify where an airplane is at, especially in the mountains, which are very difficult terrain to operate in, it provides for a more safe and efficient system. >> reporter: and there's a huge economic benefit, especially in ski areas that rely on vacationers. because they can more easily track the planes, controllers can allow more than twice the number of arrivals or departures at those airports. one part of next generation technology that's expected to help eventually transform the nation's air traffic control system. leanne gregg, nbc news,

longmont, colorado. 11:51 is the time now, 36 degrees. coming up, team usa takes the gold medal away from canada on the ice. and meteorologist tom kierein will be back with another check of our forecast. stay with us.

taking a look at sports this midday, the u.s. has bragging rights over canada in international hockey, at least on the junior level. the united states beat team canada in the world junior hockey championships last night

to take the gold medal. canada scored two goals in the third period to tie the game. the u.s. finally won it in overtime, 6-5. canada was trying for a record six straight world junior hockey title, and congratulations. go team usa. the winter olympics are a little more than a month away and health officials are trying to stop the swine flu from interrupting the games. the surgeon general and cdc wants anyone associated with the olympics to get the swine flu shot before heading to vancouver. the big crowds and close quarters are a perfect breeding grounds for germs. and that's why athletes, coaches, and staff are all rolling up their sleeves for the vaccine. and a reminder, the winter olympics kick off february 12th right here on nbc 4. right now let's get a check on some of the stories we're following for news 4 this afternoon. >> jim hanley joins us now in the studio with a preview of this afternoon's shows. >> we've got a busy afternoon shaping up. of course, that news conference at 2:00 from redskins park. and at 4:00, just about all of us have one and have personal

information stored in them. we'll tell you about a new call to beef up security on your smartphone and just how to do it. then tonight at 5:00, what's your favorite sandwich in the washington area? we'll dish out our top three in a new series we're kicking off today at 5:00 called "quick bites," it is all things food and we are celebrating it. and i get to sample, if you like brisk brisket, that's one of my favorite out of the three. >> why aren't i surprised that you're sampling sandwiches. >> i tied on the feed bags. >> thank you very much. >> thanks, jim. let's get a final check of our forecast for today. >> tom? >> hey, at the lunch hour now, temperatures are getting above freezing for the first time this morning. now into the mid-30s in washington and near the bay, and we still, however, have that blustery wind. so the windchills are down into the low to mid-20s. winds have been gusting over 30 miles an hour this morning. we've had some sunshine in and out and we'll have, as we look over the last six hours, some of those flurries that continue to linger on the eastern shore.

those will be dissipated and we'll see some sunshine in and out with clouds coming in from the north. and we'll have the temperature, only rise a few more degrees, maybe upper 30s for highs in the next couple of hours. then right back down below freezing tonight, in the low 20s tomorrow morning. a little sun tomorrow morning, but then clouding up quickly. a weak storm system coming in from the upper midwest, bringing some light snow with it, looks like arriving her around the metro area around 7:00, 8:00 tomorrow evening. before that, earlier in the afternoon, out in the mountains. and a little bit later, late evening, perhaps, in southern maryland, around the bay, light snow moving through. but the entire region should see some light snow thursday night through mid-morning friday, maybe an inch to 2 inches, 3 inches in a few locations will be the total amounts and then it will exit by friday midday and sun back friday afternoon with a blustery cold wind. saturday and sunday, highs only near 30. should stay dry and cold first part of next week. we'll see you torrow morning. eun and joe? >> thank you, tom. we'll see you tomorrow. thanks very much.

and while we're thinking about jim hanley eating all those sandwiches look at this. whoever said sumo wrestlers can't be graceful have never met this man who performed this elegant new year's ritual today in japan -- rather, in tokyo. he stamped the ground in nothing but a loin cloth and a bit of a skirt, it looks like, something around his middle. did this through the middle of winter. he is kind of a bad boy of sumo wrestling. he's broken sumo protocol in the past and is known for his short temper, but today this massive mongolian is known for his grace, his agility and dexter y dexterity. >> thanks for joining us. one night i said to my husband, come on, we're going to a steakhouse yes, i wear dentures super poligrip seals the denture to your gum and it prevents food from penetrating it was very very comfortable fitting (charlie dullea) super poligrip helps keep out food particles. just a few dabs create a seal that helps keep food particles from getting between dentures and gums

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